Encinitas shooting tragedy

In response to “2 deputies shot in Encinitas” (Feb. 21): First and foremost well wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured S.D. deputies and their families. However, rather than focus on the gun violence involved, this incident provides an opportunity for civic leaders at all levels to explore more deeply the effects of domestic abuse on society.

As a retired police captain with a 26½-year career I can attest from firsthand experience how domestic abuse permeates many of the ills we see in families, schools, businesses, courts, nonprofits, social services, prisons, to name just a few. Now in my career as a licensed therapist I’m able view the devastation from a different, yet no less tragic, perspective. From the more direct situations of family violence, sexual abuse, and PTSD to the subtler instances of substance use/abuse, anxiety, depression, self-esteem and other less-obvious mental health issues, there is all too often a connection to domestic abuse.

In this recent tragedy two of our local heroes are left with, at the least, a lifetime of emotional wounds, a 22-year-old son is dead, a community in shock, and a family left to agonize over how their situation could have been different. My challenge to the media and every public official is to address the issue of domestic abuse at its core and take action steps to help create a safer society for everyone. – Joe Granata, Encinitas

In response to "Suicidal shooter battled demons," Local, Feb. 22): This situation is a classic case of the person who should have been treated way before it reached its tragic end. According to the report in the U-T, the mother had asked for help way before this incident unfolded, and apparently had showed her son was a definite threat not only to himself but also to the community at large including his own family.

Where was the mental health system on this? If the person has been identified as a threat such as this and refuses treatment there are regulations covering it that include involuntary placement in a locked (and safe) unit in a mental health facility. Why were these not pursued by both the local police and the mental health program? I worked in this system for over 30 years. – Ray Schwartz, L.C.S.W., San Diego

The level of significance given to a news article is determined by the importance extended by editors to the persons involved in that news article. Regular readers of U-T easily notice that Page 2 of Section B includes all the local accounts of murder, suicide, hit-and-run accidents, wife-beating, robberies. Page 2 seems to be the place to read about all these articles of violent crime in the county area.

However, an exception is made for certain persons with higher esteem. When the news article includes local cops, the story is elevated to Section A, Page 1. News involving cops is far more significant than other news usually placed in Section B, Page 2. Evidently, cops are more significant people than ordinary citizens. Why so? This cop-loving adulation is so evident by the upgraded Importance given to cops. In Thursday’s paper the editors see much more significance extended to a pair of cops than they do to all the other newsmakers. – John Kenny, San Diego